Like You
by BakaKonekoRKL
Summary: Post movie: With help, Winry crosses over The Gate, but unlike Ed, doesn't end up in Germany. She'll need her new friends' help on her journey to find Ed...and Al!, but with WWII going on, can she do so before it's too late? EdWin [Complete]
1. Like You

B/N (Beginning Note, instead of A/N for Author's Note) MOVIE SPOILERS!! This takes place 3 years after the movie ends in Amestris, but the timing in the 2 worlds are different, so it's been more on Earth. Even though it's a bit of a spoiler, I had to say it so people don't get confused. Right now I'm working on the fifth chapter, so, even though it's title is the first song in it, it's not a oneshot songfic. There are some songfics in it, but they're part of it. You can't read chapter 3 without having read chapters 1 and 2. It's totally different from The Ghost of You, but it'll still have some history in it (see? Anime helps you with school!!). The title/song Like You is an extended metaphor for the entire story. I just didn't feel like I got that across in the first chapter. And so you know, while Ed isn't literally "lying cold in the ground", he's on the other side of The Gate, so it's kind of like he's dead. That should make connections easier. I'll have more things to add here and there, but I think that's sufficient for now. I want to say something about Berlin, but I'll talk about that when we get there. I was originally going to make Winry learn Alchemy, but that'd take too long, but when you make the Like You connection, you'll see why I wanted to do it. There's also name significance, like with TGOM, which I'll explain better this time around. I should've let you all know that Carina meant "beloved friend". Finally, I've intentionally switched some lyrics around here and there. So just bear with me, kay? Well, with that said, are you Ready? Steady…Go!

**Like You**

Stay low- 

_Soft, dark- and dreamless_

_Far beneath my nightmares and loneliness_

_I hate me for breathing without you_

_I don't want to feel_

_Anymore for you._

"Alchemy?" the old woman repeated after her granddaughter, "What would you want to learn that for? I always thought you'd be happy with automail and mechanics."

"I am happy! Really, I am. But…" the woman sighed, pressing her face up against the glass in a childish manner.

"Right," Pinako said, removing the pipe from her mouth and letting a puff of smoke leave her lips, followed by, "You miss him. Edward."

"And Al, too!" Winry defended herself.

"Bust mostly Ed."

Winry sighed. Why did _she_ always have to be the one that was left behind? It just wasn't fair! "Could I, grandma?"

"You're twenty-one; I can't stop you. But where would you go? To learn it, I mean."

Winry shrugged and removed her face from the window to face the older woman. "Roy, maybe? Scieszka could help me find somebody, if not."

Pinako nodded. "If you're sure that you can find a teacher, then I won't even think about stopping you."

"Really?" Winry nearly jumped from her seat with excitement, but was sufficed with just clasping her hands together. "Oh…but what about you? Without Den, you'll be all alone…" Den had gone to "that big doghouse in the sky" half a year ago. It was both quiet and lonely with him gone.

Pinako waved her off. "No need to worry about me. I'm on the way out myself, and if you just stayed here that long just to see my dying hour, it'd just take you longer to get going. And by that time, Ed could have a wife and your trip would've been in vain."

While she blushed at the last part, the younger woman said, "Grandma, don't talk about yourself like that." But they both knew that it was true. She was nearing her 91st birthday, after all, in eight months.

"I only ask you to do a few things."

"Of course! Anything!" Winry enthusiastically agreed.

"First, when you see the boys, give them my regards. Second, never give up on your dreams, including automail, even if they don't have it in that other world. Finally, wait for it to stop raining before you go, okay, sweetie?"

Winry looked outside to see the rain pouring down. Had it not been for that, it would have been harder for her to resist running down to the train station right then and there. "Deal," she said, and smiled.

Grieving for you 

_I'm not grieving for you_

_Nothing real love can't undo_

_And though I may have lost my way,_

_All paths lead straight to you!_

Several days later, when all was dry once more, and after a final trip to the graveyard, Winry went to the train station, with Pinako accompanying her. Because this was what she wanted. Even if this was the last time they would ever see each other; even if the last image they had of each other was a face pressed up against glass and another in a crowd of people, with only photographs and other memories scattered around in their minds.

Winry didn't think that she'd _ever_ be able to fall asleep on those hard, _uncomfortable _train seats, but she finally did, so she had no clue as to how long her trip to Central lasted. She had only a suitcase filled with clothes and tools, and a purse filled with all the money and photos she could fit in it.

"Teach you Alchemy?" the Colonel…General…Guy with the eye patch said after Winry had entered his office a day later. A few days after Ed had come back for that too short "visit", he had re-enlisted in the military. "There are a hundred- no, a thousand books that could teach you better than I ever could." While his mouth said, "No," his face said, "Yea! Please! Anything to save me from this dull and boring paperwork!"

"But will they know what I want to know?" Winry asked, "How to get through The Gate?"

Roy dropped the paper in his hand, and as it fluttered to his cluttered desk, he ran to the doorway to check if there was anyone around to have heard her. Seeing as there wasn't, he sighed and turned back to the young, confused woman standing before him. "Listen, kiddo…Miss Rockbell, in Alchemy, that's a big no-no. So is bringing someone back from the dead, so don't even think about that one. Everything's based on The Principal of Equivalent Exchange, which means-"

"I know what that is," Winry interrupted him.

Roy nodded. "Well, I'm not much of a teacher, and my specialty is Flames, anyway. I have doubts that they'll take you to where you want to go."

"Oh. Well, thank you anyway," Winry tried to sound cheerful, but he saw her shoulders sag.

"Well…the least I could do is get Scieszka to find a teacher for you."

"Really? Oh, thank you! Thanks so much!"

At times like this, it was hard to believe that this man had the potential of doing terrible things. Such as killing her parents.

You're not alone… 

_No matter what they told you,_

_You're not alone!_

_I'll be right beside you forevermore!_

It wasn't a day later that Scieszka went to Gracia's house (where Winry was, of course, staying). With her, she brought information on the Tringham brothers.

"Tringham brother?" Winry echoed. She'd never heard of them before, but then again, Risembool was a very small town.

"Yes! Let's see now," Scieszka said, flipping through some files, "The older brother, Russell, he's now twenty, and his younger brother, Fletcher, is nineteen. They're known for- well, for impersonating Ed and Al!"

"They never told me about that…" Winry told her, feeling left out again.

"We wouldn't have known about them, either, except Russell used Ed's name right at the time when the military was trying to capture him- right before he went through The Gate," Scieszka explained.

"So then…they're Alchemists? Where are they now?" Winry implored.

"Let's see…They've been doing some studies in a nearby town, last we heard, only a few hours away if you go by train."

"Right then," Winry said, the determination in her voice something that only Ed could rival, "I'll leave tonight!"

Scieszka nodded in response, "I'll copy these for you by then. Just in case you need them. But Winry…Just promise me that you'll be careful there…on the other side…"

"Scieszka…" Winry said, and the two girls embraced for a moment, "I think that we have time for lunch together with Gracia, don't you?"

Yes. She knew that it would be dangerous. But to be reunited with Ed again…she would risk it."

Halo 

_Blinding wall between us_

_Melt away and leave us alone again!_

_Humming, haunted, somewhere out there_

_I believe our love can see us through_

_In death._

The brothers stood in the doorway. They and Winry took turns blinking at each other for a minute, until Fletcher spoke up.

"You want us to teach you Alchemy?" he asked.

"Y-yes…if that's okay."

"Why do you want to learn it?" Russell asked her.

He was so tall!! Winry had to look up to see his eyes. How could anyone mistake him for Ed, she wondered, and said, "I-I want to go to the other side of The Gate!"

They pulled her inside (literally) and talked with her a bit. Upon finding out her motives, they agreed to help her.

"But you don't really need to learn Alchemy," Russell told her, "We could probably open it right now."

"Brother!" Fletcher reprimanded, "We can't promise her that! We don't even know if that method works!"

Russell just smiled at his little brother. "Guess it's time to test it out. Oh- it won't hurt you, Miss. Rockbell, if it doesn't work, so don't worry. I only ask that you close your eyes while we perform the transmutation."

Once they moved downstairs to the basement, Winry did as she was told. She heard a lot of things being moved, some scratching, some mumbling, some clapping, until they told her to open her eyes. When she did, she almost had to shut them again against the intensity of The Gate's light.

"This…this is it? And…you're sure that it'll take me through?"

"Not entirely," Russell admitted, "But it should. Our method for opening it was different and less harmful from what Ed and Al must've done, so I'm not really sure what'll happen."

"That's a risk I'm going to have to take," Winry said, determined. It had taken such a short time to get this far, so it couldn't take a very long time to find him…_them _once she got there, right? Then again, what was that Equivalent Exchange thingy?

She thanked the two brothers, took a deep breath, picked up her bags, and went through.

_I long to be like you, sis_

_Lie cold in the ground like you did_

_There's room inside for two,_

_And I'm not grieving for you,_

_And as we lay in silent bliss,_

_I know you remember me!_

_I long to be like you,_

_Lie cold in the ground like you!_

_There's room inside for two,_

_And I'm not grieving for you;_

I'm coming for you… 

Winry slowly felt herself coming to, but she didn't open her eyes right away. She felt something soft beneath her. She faintly remembered seeing her parents and Pinako…and Den and Trisha…what a crazy dream! She opened her eyes and found herself in a bed, in a room consisting mainly of the colors blue and white. As she took in her surroundings, a woman who looked to be only a few years older than Winry came into the room, holding a tray of food.

"Riza…?" Winry asked, still lying down. It must have failed. She passed out, and Russell and Fletcher took her back, and now she was in Riza's house…But why was she wearing her hair down? And shouldn't it be longer?

"Have we met?" the woman asked, "I've never heard anyone use _that_ nickname before; usually it's Liz or Beth or something of the sorts."

"So…You're not Riza Hawkeye?" Winry asked.

"No…You must have me mistaken for someone else. My name is Elizabeth Larkwing. You must be an immigrant, huh? I found you passed out on the street and brought you to my home. Well, then, welcome to America!"

_Dun dun dun!!! Well, if you're a reader of the manga, you know where I got Elizabeth, and Lark is a bird and wing is a body part. Like Hawk and eye. I'm a genius, huh? I just did some research and found out what this song is really about, and it made me cry, so I'm going to try to make this a truly excellent fanfic! How am I doing so far? Review to let me know!_

_**Next chapter: Far Away: The Other Side of the Gate. Winry meets the other woman living with Elizabeth, and her letter to her sister may or may not be the key to finding the Elrics. Who, by the way, make a short guest appearance.**_


	2. Far Away: The Other Side of The Gate

Thanks to any and all who reviewed! Bethany's original name was going to be Lydia, but (and you'll see in chapter 6, I think) I decided to change it. But what to change it to? Well, if Lydia was going to be her sister's name, I decided to name her after one of my friends who just recently moved to Florida. This story's Bethany and Lydia aren't twins, but the real life ones were, so this chapter is dedicated to them. Like they'll ever find it lol (they don't read fanfiction). It was only when I was writing chapter 3 that I realized that both Elizabeth and Bethany can be shortened (I'm not talking about Ed, either!) down to Beth…so yes, that was COMPLETELY accidental. And I made her last name up; that didn't come from anywhere lol. Anyway, I'll have more to say at the end, but for now,

Far Away: The Other Side of the Gate This time, this place 

_Misused, mistakes_

_Too long, too late_

_Who was I to make you wait?_

_Just one chance, just one breath_

_Just in case there's just one left_

'_Cuz you know, you know, you know!_

"America?" Winry echoed. No…Ed had been in Germany.

"Yes, dear. Where did you expect to be?" Ri-Elizabeth asked.

"W-well…I was trying to get to a place called Germany…"

"Oh, god, no! You don't want to go _there_!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"W-why not…?" _Don't tell me this was just a waste of time…Please let Ed be okay!…_

"Well, that's where the war is the worst. It's why Bethany came over here."

"Bethany? Wait, war??" Winry was confused now- and worried, for Ed's safety.

"Yes, Bethany Stommerstein, she lives here with me. And what do you mean, 'war?'? Do you have amnesia or something? Here, eat some of this food," Elizabeth ordered, indicating the food on the tray she'd brought in. "World War II has been going on for a few years, now…Yes, it started in the '30's and it's 1944 now."

"Oh my god," Winry whispered, and took a bite of the pancake, shaking. _How long have I made him wait? It was only three years in _our _time…Did The Gate do this? Was it a mistake to come here, after all?_

"I'm sorry, honey…Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked kindly.

"Well…I think…I don't know…I'm so confused!" _Is this even the right place? Am I where I'm supposed to be?_

"That's okay…It'll be fine soon," Elizabeth comforted her, "You'll see. You'll get everything sorted out. Oh! And don't worry about your bags, I brought them in, too."

"Oh…Thank you…" this woman was being so kind to her, even though she had no reason to be.

Elizabeth smiled. "It's no problem. I do things like this a lot. Actually, I met Bethany the same way."

As if on cue, they heard a door open downstairs and a voice call out, "I'm home! Liz!"

Winry thought that there was something familiar in her voice.

On my knees, I'll ask Last chance for one last dance 

'_Cuz with you, I'd withstand_

_All of hell to hold your hand_

I'd give it all, I'd give for us 

_Give anything, but I won't give up!_

'_Cuz you know, you know, you know!_

"Brother, you're doing it again."

"Huh? What?" The man snapped back to reality at the sound of his brother's voice. The voice that he'd risked everything to hear again.

The younger brother sighed. "Brother, you keep spacing out. I'm worried about you. Maybe you should go see a doctor."

"I'm fine, Al," Ed said, turning his full attention back to the foggy window with raindrops being continuously added to the outside. After all, it wasn't _his _fault that he felt like someone had just opened The Gate.

XxXxXxXxX 

"Scieszka?" the woman who had just come up the stairs repeated, "Lizzy, who is this girl?"

"I found her passed out on the street walking home from work. Sort of like how I found you."

"I'm sorry…You just look like someone I know…or knew, I guess…But I guess you're Bethany, right?" Winry ventured. So she sounded a little like Scieszka. But there was still something else that was familiar in her voice.

"That's right. I guess Elizabeth told you about me," Bethany said.

"She says she was supposed to end up in Germany," Elizabeth told the other woman.

"You don't say. Where exactly, honey?"

"I-I'm not sure. I thought it was a place called Munich, but I'm not sure anymore. Really, it's not a place I'm looking for; it's a person. Or, rather, two people."

"Would you tell me their names? I came from Germany and my sister still lives there. Who knows- maybe she knows them."

"One is a man my age," Winry described eagerly, "With long blonde hair, and his name is Edward Elric. The other is his brother, younger by a few years, Alphonse Elric. I think they might work with 'rockets', or maybe some other kind of science." That's why her voice had sounded familiar! Ed had picked up a bit of a German accent as well. Maybe she _was_ close to finding him, after all!

"I'll write a letter to my sister and ask her," Bethany promised, "Until then, if you have no other place to stay, you could stay with us."

"Oh!- No, I couldn't possibly ask you to-!"

"_You're_ not asking _us_," Elizabeth told her, "_We're _asking _you_."

I love you- I've loved you all along 

_And I miss you!_

_Been far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me-_

_And you'll never go_

_Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore…_

_I wanted, I wanted you to stay_

'_Cuz I needed- I _need_ to hear you say_

_That "I love you- I've loved you all along_

_And I forgive you_

_For being away for far too long,"_

_So keep breathing_

'_Cuz I'm not leaving you anymore_

_Believe it! Hold onto me, never let me go…_

"So, why are you looking for these young men?" Elizabeth asked.

"Um…well, they were childhood friends of mine. But I've kind of lost track of them over the years, and I just now caught up to them," Winry told them. She didn't think it best to tell them about The Gate or Amestris; she didn't want a repeat of the Eckhart episode, even though it seemed that these two would never do such a thing.

"And you're in love with one of them…Ed?" Bethany guessed.

"Oh! U-uhm…well, I…"

The older women laughed. "So I guessed right!" Bethany said, as Winry blushed.

"I just hope he'll be there…And he'll want to see me again." Winry sighed.

"Don't worry, hon," Elizabeth said, "I'm sure he will."

XxXxXxXxX 

As Ed and Al lie in bed that night, Ed couldn't stop thinking about Winry, for whatever reason. But there was no way she could be here. She couldn't do Alchemy. Even if he hoped beyond hope that she was here. But she'd never forgive him for leaving her all alone. Even if she loved him once- which was, even in that aspect, unlikely- she could never love him again now.

DUN DUN DUN!! Well, just in case you didn't get the hint, it's raining where Ed and Al are and it's sunny where Winry is (Elizabeth walked home from work…you don't usually do that in the rain!)…so like omg what do you think that means? I may have the next chapter up tomorrow, but review anyway!

_**NEXT CHAPTER: Be Thou For the People: Winry gets a job to help pay for expenses while awaiting the answer in Bethany's letter. There's also a mysterious (but not really) meeting of women at their house, and Winry recreates Gracia's famous pie!**_


	3. Be Thou For The People

Thanks again for the reviews Just so you know, Liz and Beth are like good Samaritans; they do a lot of things for the community, whether organized or not. And if they see a girl passed out on the street, they'll take her in! So, you'll never guess how I thought of the title for this one…

Be Thou For The People 

"Oh no, you don't have to!"

"But I do! I feel awful, not being able to pay you back for anything!"

"Trust me, we've done this before. We can manage you for a week or two, which is all it'll really take before you can go see Ed and Al."

"Please let me!" Winry begged.

"Okay," Elizabeth considered it for a moment (Bethany was in the kitchen cooking dinner), "What can you do?"

"I can make-" Winry stopped herself there. Sure, she could make automail, and sure, she had brought all the tools that she needed with her, but this world was different. The only other thing she could do was- "I could be a nurse. My parents were surgeons, so when I was little, I'd flip through their medical books like picture books. And I've helped deliver a baby before, too!"

"Fine, then," Elizabeth allowed, "If you can get a job soon. Like I said, it won't be long before you're in Germany."

"How do you even know he's still there? He could've left like Sci—Bethany, or even died in the war!" she felt tears coming. She didn't believe that could happen- it was Ed and Al after all, they could survive almost anything!- and she prayed that it hadn't, but there was always that chance…

"Honey, if you think like that, you'll never find him. Them. I believe they're out there, and you'll find them, even if you doubt it. So don't worry," Elizabeth smiled, and Winry smiled back.

"Dinner's ready!" Bethany calling into the living room from the kitchen, and the two hungry women followed her voice.

The next day, Winry set off bright and early to the nearby hospitals. She thought that they would be skeptical, and they wouldn't need workers, but as most of the men were off fighting in the war and people were coming home injured all the time, they accepted her right away. They even let her start that day, and understood that she'd only be there for a short time.

"Congratulations, Winry!" Elizabeth and Bethany embraced the younger woman upon her arrival at her temporary home. "We need to celebrate!!"

So they spent the evening eating the pie Bethany had bought that afternoon (Winry promised to make one for them over the weekend), and talking about all sorts of things.

On Saturday, Winry worked during the morning, got her pay for the week, and left at eleven. On her way home, she bought some ingredients for the pie that Gracia had taught her to make. She'd woken up and left before both Elizabeth and Bethany, so she had no idea whether they'd be home or not, but whether she made it and they ate it now or later, they'd still be surprised.

What she didn't count on were the about twenty women sitting in their living room.

"Um…guys?" Winry asked, standing in the doorway, arms full of groceries, "What's going on?"

"Winry!" Elizabeth and Bethany exclaimed at the same time, and stood up simultaneously.

"Sorry we didn't tell you!" Bethany exclaimed, "We forgot and we were going to tell you this morning but-"

"-But you were already gone!" Elizabeth continued, "I'm so sorry!"

"Guys, it's okay," Winry laughed, "I just don't think that one pie will feed everyone."

With some extra ingredients in the kitchen, Winry was able to scrape up enough ingredients to make enough pie for everyone. While she was cooking, she learned by various people coming into and out of the kitchen that it was some sort of "Women's Rights" thing. Apparently, since most of the men were in "Europe" fighting, women were needed to take over their old jobs, and the women wanted equal rights.

Winry, being as she'd had those rights and lived doing a "manly" job, was able to give inspiration (and pie) to the women for the next two weeks.

"Wow, Winry," Elizabeth said the following week, "That was great! I wish you weren't leaving so soon!"

"Please," Winry laughed, "It'll be a while longer before I go." _Maybe I'll be stuck here forever…_

"Actually, Winry," Bethany piped in, exchanging glances with Elizabeth, "I have some good news for you…"

Sorry it was short!! ' The next one is gonna be 33 longer. I'll update again on Thursday. Until then, I'll be on YouTube!

_**Next Chapter: Flame Fortification. Winry leaves America, and on the ship to Germany, she finds some more familiar faces. The title gives a clue as to who one of them is and what the other one does (though I think it may be a bit of a stretch).**_


	4. Flame Fortification

Thanks for reviews! The title on this one was hard to think of. I had "Flame" and I wanted another word beginning with "f" that meant something like "to protect from". You'll see why. Also, for Roy's new name, I couldn't think of a cool enough one that began with "R", so I asked some of my friends. While they eventually gave me the one I used, the first one they said every time was "Roy". Are there really so few cool guy names that begin with "R"? Sigh Maybe it's just that all the guys I know that have names that begin with "R" are losers… Remember, even if someone from Earth looks the same as someone from Amestris, they're different people! Italicized is flashback (or thinking or song lyrics, but in this case, it's flashback).

Flame Fortification 

In a few weeks, Winry had enough money saved up for a cheap room on a boat to Germany. She had a feeling that Elizabeth and Bethany had added money to her savings somewhere along the way, but she knew that if she inquired about it, they'd both deny it. She still couldn't believe that she'd be seeing Ed again!

"My sister wrote back," Bethany was telling her, "And she says that she knows of your Edward and Alphonse Elric. They're living in a town called Berlin; actually, they only live several houses away from her. They're both really nice to her, so they're kind of friends."

"_So they're not in Munich anymore?" Winry asked._

"_That's right," Bethany confirmed, "The war drove them and some friends out, I think. You can go whenever you want, of course, but they won't know that you're coming. I just said, 'a girl they knew is looking for them' in my letter, but didn't say who you were, so she thought it best not to tell them, rather than confuse them."_

"_You'd be best to take a ship there," Elizabeth advised, "They shoot down every plane they see, but most boats are often okay. So you'd better start saving up your money!"_

_Winry took ¾ of the rest of the money she'd gotten that day and put it in a little music box on "her" dresser. "I'll add to it every week," she said, "So that I can go soon."_

But when that day came, she was sadder than she expected. Not to say that she wasn't very excited and happy, but when the two older women who'd accompanied her to the docks saw her almost crying, they asked her what the matter was.

"Well- it's just that I'm going to miss you both! You've been so kind to me- I wouldn't been seeing them again had it not been for you two! You saved me, housed and fed me, and even bought me new clothes for the trip!"

"Don't worry, honey," Elizabeth told her as she and Bethany embraced Winry, ignoring the "them" part (she was a little…odd like that sometimes), "You can always write to us once you get situated there. You can probably get the address from Lydia- that's Bethany's sister- but in case you can't find _her_ or something, I'll write it down for you."

As she searched for a piece of paper, Bethany added, "She comes here and we go there for visits, so I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"I don't have any paper on me," Elizabeth announced, "Do you?"

"Oh- just write it on the back of this," Winry said, providing her with an old photograph and a pencil.

Once Elizabeth was done writing, she flipped over the photo to look at it. It was of Ed, Al, Trisha, Winry and her parents (Pinako had taken it). "Ohh! You're so cute!" Elizabeth exclaimed and Winry blushed.

"And these women, I'm assuming they're your mothers?" Bethany asked.

"Right. She's mine, and she's Ed and Al's," Winry explained, pointing to each in turn.

"They're beautiful, too."

"Thanks." She'd have to tell Ed and Al.

"And these boys are the two young men you're looking for?" Elizabeth asked and Winry confirmed it with a nod. "I can see why," Elizabeth continued and Bethany giggled in agreement, "If this is how they looked as children, they must be very handsome now!" And Winry blushed again.

As Winry boarded the ship, she heard Elizabeth and Bethany call out, "Just don't forget to invite us to the wedding!"

Winry laughed and called back, "Only if you invite me to Elizabeth and Mustang's wedding!"

But above all the noise, they couldn't hear her very well, so that Elizabeth turned to Bethany and asked, "Did she just tell me to get that new Mustang car that just came out?"

Once on the boat, Winry hoped that they'd find the money she'd left behind. After all, it was the least she could do. Equivalent Exchange, right? However _that_ went.

Of course, it would be hard for Elizabeth and "Roy" to get hooked up when he was on Winry's boat on the way to Germany.

The boat they were on took normal passengers, of which there were few, as well as some people for the United States Army. Roy, or Rick, in this world, was in the army, going to Germany to fight. The first time she saw him they passed each other on deck. The second time was in the dining room, where they sat at tables that were next to one another. Their third and final meeting was much less pleasant.

It was late at night, and Winry was returning to her room from the bathroom. He was out as well, for whatever reason, and she nodded to him in greeting.

"Rockbell, was it?" he asked her, stopping her in her tracks.

"That's right," Winry answered. Something was different, wrong. Riza and Scieszka- Elizabeth and Bethany, they'd been so similar (except Elizabeth was more talkative and Bethany didn't read as much). But she saw something in this man's eyes as he walked closer to her. She took a step back and found herself pressed up against the wall. She tried to think of how to get away- oh, why had she worn her light nightgown out?- but it was already too late, as there was already little more than an inch between their bodies, that space already diminishing by the second.

"You're pretty cute, up close," he said, his powerful hand (though it had been ten times more powerful in Amestris) tilting her chin towards his face.

"Please," she said, seeing into his mind and beginning to shake, "Don't…I-" she was cut off as his lips came crashing down onto hers. She regretted telling Elizabeth to hook up with this man- but she couldn't have known, right? She was thankful that Ed had taken her up on her dare to kiss her when they were younger; she didn't want to give her first kiss to _this_ man. She tried to pull away, and she started banging her fists against the wall. He moved his hands to hold onto hers and keep them from moving. She started to scream against his lips, but he bit her, drawing blood from her delicate lips. She knew that Roy had been a HUGE flirt, but she'd also known that he'd never done _anything_ like this. But when his hands left hers to go under her nightgown, she began to bang against the wall again. She moved her leg to kick him, but before it made contact, she felt him flung from her body.

Loosing her balance from the half-kick, Winry fell down, still against the wall. She looked to her savior and saw a woman standing there. She could tell from her clothes that she was in the army. Rare, but not unheard of for a woman.

"I hear knocking outside my room and come out to find _this_?" Winry heard the voice, but couldn't match the face, as it was shrouded in darkness. "You're dismissed," she said to the man in a disgusted tone. Apparently she outranked him or something, for he slunk away, slightly frightened. Then the woman turned to Winry. "You're okay, right?" she asked in a kinder tone.

"Y-yeah," she replied. She'd stopped him just in time.

"Good," the woman said, and as she bent down to give her a hand, Winry saw her face, and knew who her voice sounded like. "My name is Izadora Ceres," the Izumi look-alike introduced herself, "And I'd like to apologize for my stupid subordinate. He just doesn't know when to keep his hands to himself…"

_**That's it for this chapter. I thought it was kinda…iffy. Whateves.**_

_**Next Chapter (songfic again): Your Star: Winry gets to Germany, but realizes that she doesn't have a map and is completely lost. Good thing there are so many "others" to help her out in times like this…**_


	5. Your Star

Okay, so I'm a bit iffy on boat things and the sort. I've never been on a boat before. So sue me. Actually, don't; I have no money (but I do have a lot of manga). I'm currently writing the final chapter of this, and if people like it enough I'm considering a sequel. This song is, of course, by Evanescence, as was the first, and the last will be, too. Whenever I listen to the first chorus, "Lisbon" sounds kinda like "Ishbal", but maybe I'm imagining it. And "mechanical" reminds me of a certain automail mechanic…

Your Star 

_I can't see your star!_

_I can't see your star!_

_Though I patiently waited, bedside for the death of today._

_I can't see your star!_

_The mechanical lights of Lisbon frightened it away…_

Izadora apologized again and invited Winry into her room. She accepted the invitation.

"You can sleep in here tonight," the older woman told her, "Though I can't say it's more comfortable than your room."

"No, that's okay! Thanks, but you don't have to go through the trouble!" though she felt her eyelids beginning to drop. Just sitting down on one of the two beds couldn't hurt, right? "Oh, Miss. Ceres," Winry said, "You wouldn't happen to have a son, would you?" Of course she was talking about Wrath.

"Izadora is fine and yes, actually. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," Winry yawned.

"Yes…he's a bit younger than yourself. I didn't want him to go into the war when he got drafted, so I joined the army instead. My husband died in this war three years ago, so in a sense, I hate it more than most other people, and I dislike the army as well, but if it could save my son, I'd gladly sacrifice myself."

"I figured it would be something like that…" Winry trailed off.

"We're nearing the coast, see?" Izadora asked, looking out her window, "The lights from the city are blocking out the lights from the stars…"

"That's nice," was the last thing Winry said and remembered the next morning before passing out from exhaustion on the bed.

_And I'm alone now._

_Me and all I stood for,_

_We're wandering now_

_All in parts and pieces, swim lonely_

_Find your own way out._

Izadora woke Winry up early the next morning. They'd just arrived at the port, but despite the Sun shining brightly in the sky, the bleak city was in devastation. Buildings were half gone, and officers were continuously patrolling the streets. Winry could hear bombs going off in the distance, as well as gunshots.

So this is what it had been like in Ishbal. Except this time it was Ed and Al, not her parents, who were in danger of being killed.

"Well, this is where we part," Izadora told her as they got off the ship together, "I'm going to Munich, and you're going to Berlin, right?"

"That's right," Winry confirmed, "But I hope we'll meet again someday."

Izadora smiled and said, "Take care of yourself," before going with other people in the army.

"You too!" Winry called back.

It was only after everyone was gone and she was wandering the streets that she realized two things.

One, the people with the funny symbols on their arms weren't very funny. At all. And two…

She was lost and alone.

_I can't see your star!_

_I can't see your star!_

_How can the darkness feel so wrong?_

_So far away…_

_It's growing colder without your love!_

_Why can't you feel me_

_Calling your name?_

_Can't break the silence;_

_It's breaking me!_

_All my fears turn to rage…_

Without a map, Winry had no idea where she was. She couldn't read the signs either…well, what was left of them, anyway. As she walked on, her bag of luggage weighing her down, she couldn't think of herself being lost. Rather, what should have been worry turned into amazement of the destruction around her, though she was afraid of getting shot or something, too.

The only real worry she had at that time was for Edward and Alphonse. A few weeks was a lot of time during a time of war. They could be dead or dying, and she had no way of knowing. She tried to keep her mind off of depressing thoughts like that, but it was very had to do, with soldiers and devastation surrounding her. She was surprised that the city hadn't been totally abandoned. What was this war about, anyway? Whatever it was, it was probably as stupid as Ishbal. Of course it was; _all_ wars were about something stupid. Because god forbid anyone could ever talk anything out or-

"Eep!" I'm so sorry!" Winry exclaimed. While she was being pissed off about war, she hadn't been looking where she was going and had walked into a woman, making them both end up on the ground.

"That's alright. You must have been deep in thought," came the voice of Maria Ross. Winry wondered if the two brothers that she was looking for had met their friends' "others" as fast as she was.

"Um…yes, well, kind of," Winry said, "I'm just a little lost…"

"You're a foreigner, right?" Ross' look-alike said, "I can tell by your accent. If you don't have any place to go, and if you're not a Jew- no, you couldn't be, you have blonde hair and blue eyes…well, anyway, there's an extra room in my and my sister's house where you could stay for a day or two, if you'd like. My name's Clarimond, by the way," she flashed Winry a smile, extending a hand to help her up.

While Winry had no clue what a "Jew" was, she guessed that she wasn't one, and anyway, she needed a place to stay until she figured out where this Berlin place was.

She just didn't expect Clarimond's sister, Gerlinde, to look like Trisha.

Omg like woah. Well, like I promised you, I'll tell you what the two German names mean and why I chose them. Clarimond means "bright protector", because Ross was often stationed as the Elrics' bodyguard, to protect them. The "bright" part reminded me of when they were in Lab 5. Gerlinde is composed of "spear" and "soft; tender; weak". It reminds me of "Brothers"; "Beautiful mother, soft and sweet, once you were gone we were not complete".

_**Next chapter: Keep Holding On: The two sisters escort Winry to Berlin, but a tragedy happens on the way, making Winry feel like she can't move on. But there's a light in the thick fog shedding some hope…**_


	6. Keep Holding On

Once again, thank you to all who reviewed!! I finished writing this story and I'm working on the sequel. I really don't know what to say about this chapter, in terms of whether I liked it or not, but whatever. I love the song

Keep Holding On You're not alone 

_Together we stand_

_I'll be by your side,_

_You know I'll take your hand_

_When it gets cold,_

_And it feels like the end_

_There's no place to go,_

_You know I won't give in._

_No I won't give in!_

For a while, Winry felt very awkward around Gerlinde. She just couldn't get it out of her mind that this woman's last name _was not **Elric**_. But after a day, she slowly began to get over it.

"Have you figured out where you're supposed to be?" Clarimond asked Winry the second evening she stayed at the sister's house.

"I know that I need to get to Berlin, the problem is I don't know how to get there," Winry explained.

"You should have told us sooner!" Gerlinde exclaimed.

"Berlin isn't that far away from here, only about two hours, even if you're walking."

"Really!?" Winry said, her heartbeat quickening excitedly.

"Sure. We'll escort you there tomorrow morning so that you can get there by noon. ," Clarimond offered, and Winry gratefully accepted.

That night, as she lie in bed, her bags ready for the next morning, she felt more excited than she'd ever been. Yet she felt a twinge of doubt and worry in the back of her mind. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to find them- ever, and she'd be left searching for them forever. Even if they weren't dead, they might have left Berlin. Bethany's sister hadn't told them, after all. She could have left- and who could blame her? Who would want to stay _there_?- and Ed and Al could have as well. They were known for traveling, and there was nothing to stop them.

_So far away,_

_I wish you were here_

_Before it's too late,_

_This could all disappear_

_Before the doors close,_

_And it comes to an end,_

_With you by my side,_

_I will fight and defend._

_I'll fight and defend- yeah, yeah!_

The next day, the three women woke up early to make their trip. Winry downed her breakfast so fast that she thought she was going to throw up, but luckily, didn't. Once they set out, they moved at a relatively fast pace. But Winry felt that they couldn't move fast enough, and whenever she sped up, the other two women laughed and asked her what the hurry was, so Winry laughed, blushed, and slowed down.

After about an hour, when they were miles away from the sisters' home, and in a different city, they heard bombs going off.

"A-Are we gonna be okay?" Winry asked, as the sound had come from nearby.

"Sure thing," Clarimond answered confidently, "We'll be fine." Winry sped up a bit again, so that she was over ten paces in front of the others, but it wasn't more than five seconds later that a deafening sound was heard. As Winry looked behind her at the other two, she saw the crumbling building falling, right above the oblivious women.

"Watch out!!!" she called out, but by the time they looked up, the rubble was already upon them. Winry dropped her baggage and ran to the pile of bricks and other debris, not even noticing the dirt and soot all over herself as some more bombs went off nearby. She called out, but neither answered.

_Hear me when I say,_

_When I say I believe_

_Nothing's gonna change,_

_Nothing's gonna change destiny_

_Whatever's meant to be_

_Will work out perfectly_

_Keep holding on!_

'_Cuz you know,_

_We'll make it through,_

_We'll make it through_

_Just stay strong!_

'_Cuz you know_

_I'm here for you,_

_I'm here for you_

_There's nothing you can say,_

_Nothing you can do_

_There's no other way_

_When it comes to the truth_

_So keep holding on;_

'_Cuz you know_

_We'll make it through,_

_We'll make it through…_

It was her fault. All her fault. That was the only thing that Winry could think of as she knelt beside the pile of what had once been a building. There were so many times that she could think of from the past several days that, had she said or done something different, they wouldn't have been there when the bomb went off and the building fell.

She'd killed Ed and Al's mom. Not really, but she'd loved Trisha, she'd been like a mother to the girl after her own parents died. And Maria Ross had always been such a kind woman…And besides that, these two people had taken her in when she needed their help. Even if it wasn't _really_ Ross and Trisha, they had almost identical bodies; it had been _their_ bodies, if not their minds and souls, that had been crushed, _their_ faces that were now missing from the world.

Winry started to cry. Even if they hadn't looked like who they did, she _still_ would have been devastated. She hated seeing people die and suffer. How was she supposed to live with what she'd done? Even if it wasn't her fault, she'd always feel like she was the one who had made it happen, that _she_ could have somehow prevented it…

How could she even _look_ at Ed and Al _now_?

The woman who was supposed to have been like their mother (how did this alternate universe thing work again?) had died because she'd been escorting Winry, something she didn't even have to do. That was why she hated war. The death, the destruction, the loss…

"Excuse me, miss…are you alright?" a familiar voice said. Winry looked up from her crying to see a woman she'd seen before…where was it again? She was holding down a handkerchief, which Winry gratefully accepted.

"I tried to warn them," Winry explained, drying her tears and holding in the new ones that were threatening to fall, "But it just…fell…"

"I see," the woman said, "War certainly is a terrible thing…is there anywhere I can help you get to? Your house, perhaps?"

"No…I don't really have a home right now…I was going to Berlin to find the sister of one of my friends because she knows where a couple of my other friends that I'm looking for are."

"Well, you're on the outskirts of Berlin…Wait a minute, your story sounds familiar…" Suddenly, it clicked and the woman gasped, "You're the girl looking for the Elric brothers!"

"T-then you must be-!"

"I'm Bethany's sister, Lydia Stommerstein. I'm glad you made it here safely; your friends would have been very worried had you gotten hurt in any way."

I wanna finish this soon so I can get the sequel up. Only 2 more chapters after this!

_**Next Chapter: Again: On the walk to the Elric's house, Winry remembers some fond moments. But what greets her at the house won't be as sweet as her memories.**_


	7. Again

I heard this song on the radio the day I planned the story out and couldn't get it out of my head until I agreed to put it in. FYI, this chapter is a bit different, in terms of song lyrics are underlined and italicized and flashbacks are just italicized. Just so you all know. Also, the 2nd flashback where she's exhausted I wrote when I was feeling the same way- some point after midnight during Spring Break- so I know what I was talking about. Trust me, she couldn't have remembered anything (I should know). But even though she can't remember it, it's still in there…you know how people do that, right? These two are just examples of things that she COULD be thinking at the time; there was much more running through her head. Also, the thing she thinks right before the flashbacks start is something from the manga…READ IT!

Again 

_I heard from a friend today,_

_And she said you were in town_

_Suddenly, memories came back to me_

_In my mind_

_How can I be strong?_

_I've asked myself_

_Time, and time I've said_

_That I'm never falling in love with you again._

Lydia…That was it! That woman, she was engaged to that man Luijon…they were from that one town which carried that plague…in the end, it had killed them both.

"U-Um…So this is…So you're…When do I…" she hadn't expected to meet Bethany's sister, never mind this early; she thought that she'd still be looking for her weeks from now.

Lydia smiled and extended a hand to help Winry up. "Come on," she said, "Let's go back to my house; you can see Ed and Al tomorrow. Don't forget your bags!"

It seemed like a dream. And if it was, Winry preferred that she didn't wake up. It was really too hard to believe that she was finally going to see them again…Was it really happening? Just a moment ago, everything had seemed bleak and hopeless, and now…

Now she could breathe again. Now she could forget all of that pain, even if it was only a temporary amnesia. Now she was going to see them again, and they could pick up where they'd left off.

But would they be okay with that? They could, after all, not want her there at all. And what would she do then, if that happened; if they were happy how they were?

I've come too close to happiness 

_To have it swept away_

_Don't think I can take the pain;_

_No, never fall again_

_Kinda late in the game,_

_And my heart is in your hands_

_Don't you stand there,_

_And tell me you love me_

_Then leave again!_

'_Cuz I'm falling in love with you again._

After a good night's sleep and a delicious breakfast, courtesy of Lydia, Winry was ready to go. Lydia equipped her with directions and a map, even though the brothers' house was only a few blocks away.

"Sorry I can't take you there myself," Lydia apologized, "But since I'm a nurse, it's kind of important that I get to work."

Winry understood. She didn't want anyone _else_ getting hurt on her account, anyway. And it wasn't like they were miles away, either. All traces of doubt vanished from her mind as she waved good-bye to Lydia.

"See you soon!" the older woman called to the blonde. She'd have to go back to get the luggage that she left there.

As she began the walk that would reunite her with her friends, she began to think of the fun times they'd shared when they were children and thought, _Maybe I've been in love with him from a long time ago…_

_A wounded heart you gave,_

_My soul you took away_

_Good intentions, you had many-_

_I know you did_

_I come from a place that hurts,_

_And god knows how I cried_

_And I never want to return;_

_Never fall again…_

"Go away! Leave me alone!" a young Winry shouted, each hand pushing a boy away simultaneously, "You don't know what it's like!"- A statement that she later regretted saying.

_The younger boy looked hurt, but as the blonde girl ran up to her room, he murmured, "We just wanted to play…"_

"_Wait here, Al. I'll get her," Ed said in one of those voices that had a tone of both determination and "don't mess with me"._

_When he reached his female friend's door, he found it locked. "Win, let me in!" he called in to her, knocking gently on the door. Getting no answer, he knocked louder, calling, "Winry! Open the door, or I will!" Still getting no answer, he stopped pounding on the door and sighed. "I warned her," he said, taking out a piece of chalk and drawing a Transmutation Circle on the door. In a moment, the barrier between them fell to the floor, revealing a seemingly empty room- unless you counted the huge bulge on the bed._

"_Win…" Ed said, walking towards said bulge, not even stopping when he heard her soft sobs. When he reached the bed, he pulled the covers back, revealing Winry lying on her stomach with her head buried in a pillow._

"_Edward Elric, leave me alone, if you know what's good for you!" came her muffled voice._

_But at this point, it was quite obvious that Edward Elric did _not _know what was good for him, as he sat down on the edge of her bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist, forcing her to sit up._

"_No! Let me go! Go away!" she yelled, kicking her feet and flailing her arms, acting like the younger child for once. But this didn't make Ed let go; in fact, he held on even tighter, bringing the fit-throwing girl even closer. When she accidentally punched his nose, she momentarily stopped, giving Ed although his nose was in pain, the opportunity to hold her body against his. This kept her motionless, and he gained his chance to speak, blood slowly trickling from his nose._

"_Winry, I can only imagine how hard this must be for you. Believe me, when we found out two days ago, Al and me ran home practically crying to Mom," he almost felt like crying again, but instead pulled Winry closer, her head against his chest, and he felt her arms wrap around him, "So…I may not know the right words to say," he continued, "But I'll always be there for you."_

"_Thank you," she whispered. A little while later, they went downstairs to see a very confused Al, who they laughed at until he joined in and they ran outside._

_And then, just like that, Trisha was dead, Al was in armor, and Ed was joining the State Military, leaving Winry behind in Risembool, heartbroken._

_Making love to you, it felt so good and,_

_Oh so right…_

_So here we are alone again, didn't think it'd come to this_

_And to think it all began with just a little kiss…_

"Ed, do you want another blanket?" Winry asked the young man lying on the couch.

"_No, I'm fine," he replied, voice still slightly raspy because of the recent re-attachment of his automail limbs._

_Winry sat by his head on the couch. Pinako and Al had already gone to sleep (wait, could Al even sleep, anyway?), but Winry wanted to make sure that Ed was okay before she retired to her own room, tired though she was. She looked down and saw Ed's closed eyes, feeling her own threatening to fall. But she just couldn't resist brushing her fingers through his golden bangs._

"_What the hell are you doing?" he asked so calmly that it sounded like a statement rather than a question, yet his eyes still refused to open. Winry didn't answer, but kept playing with his bangs, so he sighed inwardly and grabbed the hand that was dancing around on his forehead with his flesh arm. He moved it down a bit and touched it to his lips. Winry could feel them move against her hand as he said, "Win, you don't have to stay up for my sake; you're barely conscious. Go to bed."_

"_I'd rather stay up with you," she replied, moving her hand away to lift his head up and place it on her lap. While his eyes remained closed, his face seemed to get a few shades darker in the night._

"_Please. If I'm tired, then you must be exhausted," he said. She yawned and he grinned, eyes fluttering open to look up at her. "Ha! You can't fool me." There was a bit of an awkward silence for a few moments as they stared at each other, until Ed decided to remove himself from her lap, propping himself up on one arm. "You know, we're not kids anymore," he said, his face only a few inches away from hers._

"_I know," she said, her eyes searching his, darting down to his lips every few seconds while his eyes did the same, making her heart flutter. This was it…The space between them was closing…_

_Ed sighed and looked down, almost embarrassed. "Come on," he said, getting off the couch, "I'll take you upstairs. Wouldn't want you to fall in the dark." He didn't look at her, even when he extended a hand to help her off of the couch. So, when she took his hand, she didn't let go._

"_Winry…can you let go now?" he asked once they'd been standing next to her bed upstairs for a few minutes._

"_Oh! Right…" she yawned, letting his hand go._

_Ed sighed and rolled his eyes. "God, Win," he said, ruffling the top of her hair with his hand. But he had to admit, even if it was only in his head, that she looked pretty cute when she was tired._

_Almost giddy from sleep, she giggled and collapsed against him, causing them both to fall onto the bed, with her head against his chest. "Win…ry?" she heard him say, but all she could do was giggle again, and close her eyes. She felt Ed sigh, and rest his arms on her back, holding her closer. She felt happiness through her sleep._

"_Winry?" she heard a few minutes later, though her clock told her that it had been just under an hour since she had last closed her eyes. Ed was still underneath her, holding her._

"_Mmm?" she groaned, showing she'd heard._

"_You're going to have to get up, you know. We're going to get hell if we stay like this 'till morning."_

"_Mmm!" she moaned, clinging to him tighter, "I don't wanna!"_

"_C'mon, Win," she could hear the tiredness in his voice as she felt him pry her fingers from his clothes. She wanted to move, but she just couldn't muster the energy to do so._

"_If I move, you've gotta do somethin' for me," she said, her speech slightly slurred from sleepiness._

"_Fine," he agreed, and she pulled her body from his. They stood up and faced each other, her eyelids drooping more than his. _Man, she must really be beat, _Ed thought, but didn't get the chance to force her to lay down on the bed before she took a step forward, closing the space between them, and pressed her lips against his. It took him a second to register what was happening, but once he did, he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist as hers went around his neck. It felt so right, but…_

"_Winry," he said, breaking away from her, "You don't really want this. You're delusional from sleep, otherwise you'd know that you deserve better than me."_

"_Nooo," she moaned, resting her head on his chest. Both of their arms stayed in the same place as they'd been in during their kiss, and Ed sighed and guided her to the bed, almost dancing. Had anyone seen them, they would've gotten quite a laugh. He removed his arms from her waist just long enough to pull down the covers of the bed, and guided her down to lay in it, pulling the covers over her shoulders. Her eyes were already closed and he smiled to himself as he shut the door behind him. He just hoped that, since she was half-asleep and went to bed right afterwards, she wouldn't remember what had happened._

_Lucky for him, she didn't._

Hold me…Hold me 

_Don't ever let me go_

_Say it just one time;_

_Say you love me!_

_God knows I do love you again._

Winry smiled to herself as she neared the address. They'd had so many great times together (as well as some not-so-great)…she just had to hope for the best. But as she came in front of the building, ready to knock, she saw something that made her loose all confidence.

Looking through the window, she saw a woman who looked a lot like Rose. Even from just looking through the window from a story below the room, Winry could tell that she was flirting with Edward. And he didn't seem to mind.

A million and one thoughts raced through her mind, the most prominent being, _That's his wife._ She just couldn't take it then. She'd go back later that afternoon, when her head was cleared, she decided as she ran away out of sight.

But not before Ed had seen her.

What will happen next? In the conclusion of "Like You", ch 8 "Good Enough", Ed chases after Winry. But is she good enough for him?


	8. Good Enough

Finally, the last chapter! Yay! Don't forget to look out for the sequel, which will be coming up……sometime. I'm feeling really awful (sick-wise), so let's cut the A/N short, shall we? (Besides, I think that you'd rather read the chapter than my rant.)

Good Enough Under your spell again 

_I can't say no to you_

_Crave my heart,_

_And it's bleeding in your hand!_

_I can't say no to you._

"Hm? Ed, what is it?" Noa asked the young man looking out the window.

"I just thought I saw…Al, did you see that girl?"

"No, brother. What girl?"

"Damnit," Ed grunted under his breath, grabbing his brown coat from the chair, "I'll be back in a minute."

Al and Noa exchanged looks as Ed shut the door behind him. "It's not every day I come to visit you guys…Where do you think he's running off to?" Noa asked the younger Elric.

"I dunno…" Al replied, watching his older brother run through the beginning rain. _Girl…?_ he thought.

Winry's legs began to feel cold and numb as she ran aimlessly in the rain. She didn't know where she was going, besides away from that house. She slowed down, catching her breath, and took in her surroundings. She appeared to be in some kind of park, or what used to be one, anyway. All that was left of it was a bit of grass, a backless bench (which Winry gladly sat down on, despite it being damp from the drizzling), and a few trees, one of whose branches hung over the bench.

And she'd do anything for them, she knew that. That's why she wouldn't tell him that she was in love with him, for all of their happiness. She'd just ruin things.

Winry was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the hurried footsteps approach, and almost missed the soft, barely audible, shaky, "W-Winry? Is it you or…no, it couldn't be."

Despite her being upset, she smiled to herself, stood up, and took a step to her left, coming face to face with Ed. "And what if I told you that it could?"

Shouldn't let you torture me so sweetly 

_Now I can't let go of this dream,_

_But I feel good enough;_

_I feel good enough for you._

"No…" Ed laughed, shaking his head. Winry stood there, puzzled. So he didn't want her there at all? "There's no way. You can't really be _my_ Winry." _His _Winry? "She couldn't have gotten…She never learned…She's not an-"

"Russell and Fletcher," Winry said simply, and Ed's eyes widened. "Pinako said hi, too."

"Winry…from Risembool…?" he asked slowly, his hand caressing her cheek and lingering there. She could understand his caution and disbelief. After all, for all he knew, she could just be the girl from this world who _looked_ like her. "Damnit, Winry," he said, and pulled her close to him.

This wasn't like a "glad to see you, welcome back" kind of hug that she'd usually give the brothers (after beating Ed senseless) when they returned home for repairs. So why was he holding her like this, so tightly and for so long? What about that other woman? All that Winry knew for that moment, in his arms, she felt good.

Drink up sweet decadence 

_I can't say no to you_

_And I've completely lost myself,_

_And I don't mind!_

_I can't say no to you._

"Winry…" Ed spoke again after a moment, still holding Winry tightly against him, "You came here to find me and Al, right?" he felt her nod against his chest. "Then…why did you run away?"

"I…" she stopped. It would sound so stupid. "I was going to come back…" despite the rain, he felt so warm. "I just couldn't handle it right now."

"Handle what, Win?"

Ah, that old nickname…it stirred something in her heart, and before she could stop herself, she said, "That woman you were with…your wife, or girlfriend, I-"

"What the hell are you talking about? You mean my friend Noa? She visits us from time to time, but she can't stay for more than a few hours at a time because she's a Gypsy and- never mind, I'll tell you later. But…I know she's constantly flirting with me, but she knows I can never return her love."

"Why is that?" Winry asked, pushing herself off of Edward's chest, but so that he still had his arms around her as he looked deep into her eyes and spoke.

"Because there's another girl I've loved, for a very long time now, only I've been too stupid, blind, and immature to say anything to her, even after Al had his body back and she was putting my automail on in that underground city."

Suddenly, Winry felt nervous under Ed's tender smile. She just couldn't find the words to say. Before she realized it, she was softly pressing her lips against his.

Shouldn't let you conquer me completely 

_Now I can't let go of this dream;_

_Can't believe that I feel_

_Good enough; I feel good enough;_

_It's been such a long time coming,_

_But I feel good._

In between the time that the kiss was initiated and Ed realized what had happened, Winry realized what she had done, and pulled back.

"S-Sorry," she stumbled.

"No need to be," Ed smiled warmly at Winry, causing her to smile back. "Let's get on back home."

"Can't we just stay like this a little longer?" the mechanic asked.

"It's dangerous," Ed countered, "Besides, don't you want to see Al?"

"Of course!" Winry exclaimed. So they started back to the house. Halfway there, the rain droplets transformed into snowflakes, and Winry shivered under her light clothing.

"Here," Ed said, removing his brown coat and holding it out so she could slip her arms into the sleeves.

"N-No…Then you'd be cold!"

"I can handle it," he told her, "Anyway, you've been taking care of me ever since we were little. It's about time I started taking care of you." Their faces were both red, but neither could tell if it was from the cold, or something else.

Once they got back to the house, Ed told her, "Wait here. Just for a minute, I promise." Winry looked at him quizzically but he just smiled that goofy grin of his back at her, as she stood outside the door.

"Brother!" she heard Al's voice before Ed could even give him a greeting. "Noa just left- Where's your coat? Oh, Brother, you can be so reckless sometimes!" After a pause he asked, "So, what about this girl that you just had to go chasing after?" That made Winry blush. "Who was she?"

"Oh, I dunno," Ed yawned, "Just some girl from Risembool named Winry Rockbell."

"Winry!?" Al exclaimed, and ran out the door, right smack into said woman. Ed just laughed as Al looked at her, surprised, as she hugged him. "Winry…" he said, hugging her back, "How did you…?"

"I'll explain later," she said, going inside with Alphonse right behind her.

_And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall;_

_Pour real life down on me_

'_Cause I can't hold on_

_To anything this good…enough_

_Am I good enough,_

_For you to love me too?_

That night, as Ed and Winry lay in bed together (shame they had no extra bed, huh?) and as Al was sleeping, Winry asked the question that had been bothering her throughout her entire journey. "Do you want me here?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I do."

"Really? Even though you and Al are so happy as you are now?"

They heard the younger boy turn in his sleep before Ed answered, "There's always been something missing. I know we can't go back to the days when we were kids ever again, but with you here…there's one less piece missing. And it was a big piece, too."

"Just tell me I'm not dreaming, Ed," Winry implored as she held onto him tightly.

"You're not, Win…you're not," he whispered into her hair as he stroked it.

"Ed, there's something else I need to know. About this world. The time, it's…different."

"Oh, right! Sorry I haven't explained it to you yet," Ed apologized.

"No, it's not your fault…You were too busy explaining the Nazi stuff to me," Winry whispered in his ear.

"Well, apparently there's a difference in this world's time compared to that of our world's. Ours is a few years behind this one. Not only that, but the lengths of the years are different, which I guess is why we're behind; we'll live, on average, twice as long as people born to this Earth. That's why we'll have to move every several years, so that people don't get suspicious."

"Okay…I see," Winry sad as she began to drift off to sleep. It reminded of that time when he'd kissed her that once…He couldn't let her got to sleep for a few more minutes, though; he may never get such a perfect chance again.

"Winry, do you want to stay here…with us?"

"Of course I do, Ed."

"I don't think you understand what I mean," Ed started, but Winry silenced him with her lips on his.

"Yes, I do," she said once they parted. "And anyway, you know that I can't say no to you."

_So take care of what you ask of me,_

'_Cause I can't say no._

The end! The sequel will begin in a few weeks, so look for "While You Were Gone"! I'm posting this chapter on 4/20/07, so I'd like to dedicate it to Mayada Jafar, who was hit by a drunk driver one year ago today. I didn't know her, but it was a very sad event, and I kinda wanted to do something in her memory. RIP 3

_**Reviews are loved **_


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